Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benxi and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $692 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benxi and in Hangzhou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Benxi and in Hangzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $692 per month in Benxi vs $985 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Benxi $692
Hangzhou $985

A couple spends around $991 per month in Benxi vs $1,533 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Benxi $991
Hangzhou $1,533

A family of three spends $1,291 per month in Benxi vs $2,080 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Benxi $1,291
Hangzhou $2,080

Benxi is about 30% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Benxi and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Benxi 49% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.22

$3.73 ¥24.81

-18.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.33 ¥149

$26.03 ¥173

-14.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.30

$4.68 ¥31.14

13.46%

Cappuccino

$2.40 ¥16.00

$3.48 ¥23.18

-31.03%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.40

$0.61 ¥4.05

-16.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.90

$0.33 ¥2.20

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$1.22 ¥8.08

-40.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.71

$2.23 ¥14.82

-21.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.29

$1.84 ¥12.22

0.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$1.61 ¥10.72

-24.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.61

$1.10 ¥7.33

-23.64%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.67

$2.11 ¥14.01

-24.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 ¥66.5

$19.06 ¥127

-47.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.85 ¥18.95

$3.74 ¥24.90

-23.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 ¥59.4

$10.29 ¥68.5

-13.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.76

$2.32 ¥15.44

-30.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.19

$1.34 ¥8.93

2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$1.52 ¥10.11

6.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.53 ¥10.19

-10.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.94 ¥6.23

-38.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.28

$0.94 ¥6.27

96.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.09

$0.63 ¥4.18

-3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.58

$0.55 ¥3.65

25.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ¥19.78

$4.02 ¥26.76

-26.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 ¥54.8

$13.38 ¥89.0

-38.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.77 ¥5.12

-24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥8.31

$1.65 ¥10.98

-24.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.47 ¥3.13

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.21 ¥81.3

$17.73 ¥118

-31.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 ¥5.85

$1.96 ¥13.05

-55.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.38 ¥2.55

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ¥19.85

$6.98 ¥46.47

-57.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.32 ¥8.75

-14.39%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

0.43%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.0K ¥119.6K

$18.4K ¥122.3K

-2.26%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$54.4 ¥362

$48.04 ¥320

13.16%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.70 ¥44.57

$10.04 ¥66.8

-33.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.41 ¥69.3

$15.02 ¥100.0

-30.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 ¥441

$52.8 ¥351

25.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 ¥55.3

$20.00 ¥133

-58.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ¥40.14

$7.55 ¥50.2

-20.13%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$449 ¥2,989

$577 ¥3,836

-22.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,894 ¥59.2K

$35.8K ¥238.1K

-75.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.74 ¥198

$60.2 ¥401

-50.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.77 ¥218

$42.24 ¥281

-22.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 ¥401

$84.0 ¥559

-28.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 ¥349

$111 ¥736

-52.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$137 ¥908

$552 ¥3,674

-75.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,260

$352 ¥2,341

-46.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 ¥1,714

$1,117 ¥7,432

-76.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ¥1,017

$627 ¥4,170

-75.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,371 ¥22.4K

$7,668 ¥51.0K

-56.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,941 ¥12.9K

$3,819 ¥25.4K

-49.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$447 ¥2,975

$1,582 ¥10.5K

-71.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

14.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Benxi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Benxi

$189 27.4%

Hangzhou

$352 35.7% 85.7% $162

Groceries & Markets

Benxi

$179 25.9%

Hangzhou

$235 23.9% 31.3% $56

Eating Out

Benxi

$79 11.5%

Hangzhou

$100 10.2% 25.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Benxi

$79 11.4%

Hangzhou

$134 13.6% 69.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Benxi

$78 11.3%

Hangzhou

$68 6.9% 13.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benxi

$71 10.3%

Hangzhou

$73 7.4% 2.3% $1.6

Getting Around

Benxi

$16 2.3%

Hangzhou

$23 2.4% 48.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $137 in Benxi versus $552 in Hangzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hangzhou are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Benxi versus $26 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $235 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Benxi

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

Same time as Benxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

809,655

10,360,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Benxi Hangzhou 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Benxi
Hangzhou

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Benxi vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hangzhou costs about 42% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,039 per month in Benxi and $1,477 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benxi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Benxi and $577 in Hangzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Hangzhou at $985. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benxi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Benxi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.